“This is a catastrophic storm our state has never seen,” the governor said at an afternoon press conference, announcing that he had activated another 3,000 National Guard members to assist with storm preparations.

Parts of southern Florida are already under a hurricane watch, and tropical-storm-force winds are expected to hit the Florida Keys by early Saturday.

“The main concerns for South Florida at this time are the potential for destructive winds and life-threatening storm surge,” the National Weather Service said.

“The main window of concern for Hurricane Irma impacts is early Saturday morning through Monday.”

Floridians are facing long waits for gas as thousands flee their homes — and Scott urged residents to be patient and take only the fuel they need.

“We know fuel is very important. You will see lines or outages,” he said. “I know this has to be very frustrating, and we will not stop working on this.”